The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-09
SCORING THE THEOLOGIANS
lnanAppendix to His Beecher EulOgy DR..
Parker Denounces Theologic Systems.
Testament-A Very Broad and Liberal In
depreciation Of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

NEW YORK Oct a-The following postscript
20 the Beecher euloey delivered by DR.. Parker.
of London, in Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, Oct.
4, accompanies that document:
SIN sending forth this sulogy il may be we'll
10 point out that admiration of mans spirit
and genius IS perfectly compatible with serious
dissent from some of his theological opinions.
Some persons cannot recognize this doctrine,
but they, TO the best of my knowledge. are per-
sons whose good opinion would trouble me with
great alarm. The man who, above all others IS
innicting injury upon the cross OF Christ In TINS
century is the who has made havoc OF the
New Testament by hardening IL into forms ere
ated by his own imagination. and insisting upon
the acceptance of those forms as the test OF So
called (niscalledD orthodoxy. The man who
sets in this manner is incuraoly wicked burn
with anger when L say that l know not of any
more damuable treason than to codify the in
finite thought and love OF God in words OF hui
man invention, and to declare that such Is COM
plete and final 1 say with Emerson: Inas
which is true in transition becomes false
when 6xed' An attempt 10 being made in
England today, by few zealots. to create
Pspal iufaIlibility based upon the obstinacy OF
ignorance and the prejudice OF self complacency
That il can not succeed Is no reason why IL
should not be condemned as an unho!y perversion
of every claim of Christ, and its authors -epu-
dated az unworthy OF confdecce Against
such infallibility Mr. Beecher's life was con-
tinual protest For my own part. i feel that
the evangelical faith. interpreted by the evan
eelicaI spirit, is the only doctrine that can savo
the world. But the evangelical faith can only
be limited at in it's intellectual grandeur and
DdtlO8
fastidious eloquence. 1t Is Lot to De cataiogued,
seetarianzed or put into constabulary custody.
It's dogmas but beginnings. It's catechIsms
are but shadowy and temporary outlines It's es
sencs. it's energy, its completeness can be found
only in the heart Of God the Soc. The socailed
systematic theologian who treats human con-
lectures divine finalities. is, in very decd, a
Judas Iscsrot whose turpituds Is aggravated oy
his profession of piety. Christianity, as officially
rnisintsrpreted. has happily lost it's hold upon
public attention; yet Jesus Christ himself. by all
the ministers that constitute the spiritual educa-
tion of human nature. Is making daily advance
ment Official zeal and insolence would take
Jesus and make Him n king by force; but He
himself declines the tnsel crown. knowing that
when His hour is come He will reign by right,
and therefore reign forever Because the
church - being enlarged some people think 1t is
being DESTROYED. hold that the church should
be moro than ever inclusive. He that IS not
against us should be reckoned on our side
"Mr. Beecher deeply felt, what many others
are feeling quito acutsy, that there Is
iansntabie lack Of honesty and fearessness in
many official teachers. Doctrines that are NOM
ipally professed are publicly ignored; they are
not opposed. denounced, or repudiated, they are
simply allowed to fall into desuetude. Diners,
again, may be tempted to preach the letter OF
certain doctrines with vocal rather than with
moral emphasis, merely To discourage the critl-
cism OF those who judge by sound moro than oy
sense. A policy of this kind tends towards cor
ruptness of heart IL any well-qualified man
were arise to lead us in another direction he
would be called TO endure great fght OF
and trusted rs n true servant of Jesus
Christ. His soul must be sufused with the
spirit OF the cross de must have large knowl
edge OF human pature. He must believe that
the whole universe its hell well as its heaven,
So Gods creation and Gods partial revelation.
Then, what a doctrine he holds for mans celv-
erance and Specification; how infinite In meta
physical subtlety, how incorruptible In right
eousness how tender In sympathy. how COM
plete in practical appliance! The grandeur OF
his doctrine will be the measure of his modesty.
He will not feel himself called upon to explain
eternity and infnity. To him tie fact will
49, ,slo~xu %trx.
he will what as an astronomer he can never
measure. The grea. evangelical teacher may be
silencsd by ave. but never by timidity or self
ishness. Such silence is the truest eIoouence.
cit la thing to view the universe at an &C
countant and valuer, and another tn look upon It
as none other than the house of God and the gate
of heaven Then think Of that wondrous cross
the agony, the overthrow, and the triumph or
God! All mystery darkens and briehtens there.
How healing is that sacred blood, how ALI
neeaful how freely given! From such altar
drive away in burning anger the pedant who
understands il ALI the investor who sells some
new theory of it's sorrow and the zealot who
turns it's mystery into a basis of cross examina-
tion. Bot ought not teachers TO ask such ques-
tons who2 What Howl Whenf No. When an
answer can cover a question the teacher may in
vite and crafty inquiry; but when the answer
can only mock tho question it Is better to pray
than to argue.
personally I take my stand upon the Chris
tian Scriptures. and allow 20 man to interpret
them for officially and anthoritatively am
profoundly thankful for all assistance-proba-
bly, the greatest assistance that man can render
to mau-but il must be given fraternally. not
papally. Every reader can interpret the highest
purpose of Revelation for himself, IL his heart
be childlike and his motive be holy. We are
now informed that in the judgment OF the vast
majority of scholars Hebrew literature did not
begin before the ninth century B. c.; only
one-haif of the Old Testament was written be-
fore the exile, and our Peutateuch. as we have
g. was introduced by Ezra in the year Al Is. Q.
The Levitca legislation is the work OF the exile
period, although the authors use every endeavor
to make their work appear to have
been written in the wilderness. Tho connection
between Moses and the Pentateuch IL purely
nominal David wrote psalms, all being
much later than his period. Solomon had nothing
TO do with any of the works that bear his name
Let MS for a moment assume contrary to the
view Of many eminent Hebraists) that such Is
the case; there is nothing in il to discredit the
inspiration Of the Bible. Inspiration is term
which may need new and enlarged definition
but that is ALL do not believe the Pentatsuch
simply because Moses ia said to have written 1t,
but because it is true to human experiences, and
because its revelation of God is equalled by
the loftiness and sublimity of its moral COM
mandments i is really OF no eons use.
written in the wilderness, provided it
was subsranti lived in the will derness
or was delivered, according to Eastern custom
from sire TO son until the exile period Nor
Ga IL Of anv vital i'm portancs whether David or
Solomon wrote the books which stand IN their
name. Somebody wrote them. Let them speak
for themselves. What 10 their conception of
Godl What is their moral tone2 What is their
relation to the rest of the Biblef What use did
Jesus Christ make of theml Very possibly we
may have to alter dates. names. authorships
and frameworks. but who says that shall
have to in vent a new God or dream n new moraityl
That is the point with which the universal con-
sciousness Of mankind will have to deal. Saliva
ton never be of grammar To think that
God appoints to heaven or hell because OF
the views which they take of Greek proposition
Is simple blasphsmy. IL ia because we want to
explain SO much that 60 wrong far. II
seems to be wise that ministers should explain
ihe Trinity. Inspiration. Revelation. Redemption
and m m q a
profound ssnse the faithful minister may say
Christ sent me not to explain but To proclaim.
The cross OF Christ needs no recondite sxplana
ton. and receive none. IL is an infinite i'm
preston. infinite emotion, an infinite peace; il
covers all the wound and shame OF ain; IL is at
Snce n revelation and n benediction- That there
Ia a kind Of exposition which tends to edit.
cation Ia n truism not to be denied; in
this service how noble. how STRENGTHENING.